Anakin's Death: The Aftermath
by silkyterrier34
Summary: After returning from the second Death Star Luke wakes up in the medical bay. Leia is there and the Skywalker twins have a heartfelt conversation about their childhoods as well as the uncomfortable but inevitable subject of Vader.


**Hi there! I had this in my head and found myself spending an hour or so writing this!**

 **My father isn't a Star Wars fan and sometimes he asks questions about the movies. This story is based off of two of his questions.**

 **"Why does Luke not pass out from the Force lightning when in Attack of the Clones Anakin passes out in a couple of seconds? And y** **ou said in the book of The Phantom Menace that Anakin knew he had powers, so why didn't Luke and Leia know?"**

 **The EU may explain this, but I've never read them, so I just came up with my own version that you will see below! :)**

 **I don't own Star Wars!**

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The first thing that I was aware of was that I was sore all over. It wasn't too unbearable, but it was still bad enough to make me want to slip back into unconsciousness.

No matter how hard I tried, sleep never came. In reality, I had probably only tried for about a minute or two, but my patience was wearing thin. So I just settled for laying there, wherever I was, for the time being. My brain was still groggy from sleep and I had refused to open my eyes since I had woken up. As silly as it may sound, there was a part of me that felt like I would be this way forever.

As my mind slowly cleared, I was able to make out some sounds of machines working. Suddenly curious, I opened my eyes. They weren't open for long. The light caused me to squeeze them shut almost instantly. I slowly opened them again, squinting against the light. To my dismay, I still couldn't make anything out. I was forced to let my eyes adjust to the light before I could do anything. The great patience that I had gained from my Jedi training once again began to disappear. I groaned in frustration as I willed my eyes to see.

Finally, my eyes were able to open all the way and I was able to look around. I was lying on a white bed, the blanket covering me from my toes to my shoulders. The walls and floor were white too. Light streamed in from the single window that showed numerous trees outside. There were also various medical machines around the room. They were similar to the ones I saw when I got my new hand.

I squinted at everything in confusion. My head was able to piece together that I was in a medical bay, but why?

Somehow, I had missed a black couch that was in the corner of the room. When I finally did notice it, it was also revealed to me that I wasn't alone in this room.

Leia was there sleeping in the outfit and hairstyle that she had fought on Endor with, but there was some hair that had escaped her braids. She was curled up on one side of the couch, her arms crossed on the arm and providing a perfect place to rest her head. While she was asleep, I was able to sense that she was worried. My senses were still a bit fuzzy, but yet I could easily tell that she was filled with anxiety. Perhaps I was able to feel it because her anxiety was so great, or maybe it was because she was my twin sister.

I had always felt some connection with Leia. Ever since I saw that hologram of her on Tatooine I was overcome with this sense of familiarity. At the time, I had tried to dismiss it, but it proved too difficult for me to do so. I decided not to share these feelings with my aunt and uncle. I had always assumed that they would echo my thoughts, and for some reason, I felt like they would panic at my feelings more than the message itself. Looking back on it, they probably would have.

That night on Tatooine I had had a weird dream. I was a baby lying in a bassinet. Next to me was another baby with brown eyes and some brown hair was already growing on her head. We were fully awake and happy, talking in gibberish before laughing and kicking like one of us had told a joke. That had continued for quite some time until there was the sound of a door opening and two men were suddenly by the bassinet we were in, looking down at us with sad eyes.

Baby me knew both of them, but the only one that 19-year-old me recognized was Ben Kenobi. The other man wore a blue-gray robe. It was very elegant compared to Ben's old brown one. He also had a dark beard that matched the hair on his head. They both began talking to each other as they looked down at us.

The other baby and I didn't understand what they were saying, but we could easily hear and see the grief and sadness the two men bore. We didn't want to pay attention to the conversation. We had had enough of our own grief to deal with ever since we were born, so we decided to ignore them and continue what we were doing.

The men stopped talking a few minutes later. While the other baby and I were still laughing, the stranger gently picked up the other baby. We both stopped laughing, surprised that she was being picked up. Ben then reached for me and I was gently lifted out of the bassinet. The baby and I stayed quiet as we were bundled up in white blankets. Then Ben shifted me so that I was looking behind him over his shoulder. I didn't see anybody, just part of the nursery.

I was confused as to what was going on as the two men talked some more. Then Ben had turned around and began walking away. The man that held my friend had also turned and was walking in the opposite direction as Ben. Like me, the other baby was positioned so that she was looking over the man's shoulder.

As the two men walked further and further away from each other, the baby and I refused to break eye contact. It wasn't until Ben entered a hallway and turned that I stopped looking at her.

I heard my friend wail and my own bottom lip began to tremble. Ben shifted me so that I was lying in his arm, looking up at him. He gave me a sad smile before putting two fingers on my forehead. In a matter of moments, the gesture caused me to fall asleep.

Now, lying on that bed, I knew that that baby was my twin sister. After nineteen years of separation we were finally together again. I knew it was what our parents would have wanted. I smiled at the thought, but quickly remembered that I was in a medical bay and had no idea why.

"Leia?" I said quietly. It was harder to talk than I thought, like I hadn't talked in such a long time.

Her eyes fluttered open before she settled her eyes on me. Seeing that I was awake, she was up in an instant. Leia ran over to my side, leaning over and giving me a hug. While it did hurt a bit, I hugged back.

"You're okay!" she exclaimed as she released me, "How do you feel?"

I decided to answer honestly, "Like poodoo." I looked around again, "What happened?"

"That's a good question. I was hoping you could tell me."

"I don't remember anything."

Leia nodded in understanding, "You did seem out of it when you landed. It was a miracle that you were able to land that imperial shuttle. When you were running out to us your eyes were half-closed and you couldn't walk straight. You were able to tell us a bit about Force lightning before you passed out."

At her words everything came back to me. Surrendering myself, fighting my father, the Force lightning, all of it. I began to panic as the memories came flooding back.

"Father!" I quickly sat up, only to be stopped by Leia and gently pushed back down as I hissed in pain. I closed my eyes as I remembered taking off Vader's-no, Anakin's helmet and him dying in my arms. The shock from him insisting for me to leave him behind was remembered as well as my aching muscles as I struggled to pull my father to safety. But it was the overwhelming guilt at not being able to save him that was the most apparent.

I already knew the answer, but I still asked, "Is he...?"

Leia sat down on the bed, "He's dead. We went inside the shuttle you brought and found his body. We went ahead and took him out. Vader's in the morgue because we wanted to know what you think we should do with the body."

I sunk my head deeper into the pillow, "I failed."

She seemed surprised by my statement, "What? You didn't fail, Luke! The Emperor's dead along with the Empire. You've done what we've been setting out to do for years!"

"He's dead. I wanted to bring him back to us alive."

"Us?"

I nodded, "He knows. On the Death Star he found out on his own that I had a twin. I told him that it was you after he killed Palpatine."

"Wait," she blinked a few times, "Vader killed Palpatine?!"

"No," I shook my head, "Anakin Skywalker, our father, killed him."

"Luke, what exactly did happen up there?"

I explained, "I refused to join the Dark Side, so the Emperor used Force lightning to try and kill me. Our father threw him into a reactor shaft to save me, but ended up getting shocked himself. It short-circuited his breathing apparatus." I scoffed, "I was shocked for a total of two and a half minutes yet one bolt was all it took to kill him."

Leia's eyes widened, "No wonder you passed out! It took so long though."

"Father told me that the Emperor used the Force to keep me awake. It was either so I felt every bolt as I died or to make sure that when I stopped moving, I had stopped moving for good. Father and I then used the Force to keep me conscious as we tried to escape."

The ceiling suddenly became very interesting, and I refused to take my eyes off of it as I continued, "After the Death Star was going to be inevitably destroyed, he pretty much gave up. I used half of my energy to keep me going and to keep him awake, but he was only focused on keeping me awake. I thought I could save him. I really did. Even after I took off his helmet at his request I thought I could get him help before he passed, but he ended up just dying right there in my arms."

"Luke..."

I closed my eyes, "The Emperor's as well as Father's influence was wearing off, and I found it really difficult to keep myself awake. Electricity was still coursing through me."

Leia held my hand, "We know." I looked at her as she continued, "The doctors said one more second of being shocked would've been the end of you. Your heart actually did stop a few times Luke!"

Tears were in her eyes and I squeezed her hand, "It takes more than that to kill me off."

She smiled at my comment, but suddenly became serious again, "We were all so worried about you! You've been out for days! Han, Chewie, Wedge, Lando, and I have been taking shifts to be with you for when you woke up. Wedge actually proposed not to celebrate the Empire's fall until you could join the party. Many of us, including me, took his offer."

My eyes widened at that. No wonder it was such a strain to talk at first. My vocal cords haven't been used for so long! But people actually decided not to celebrate until I was out of the medical bay? My guilt grew, but I also felt touched by their gesture.

Suddenly, I remembered that the only people who know my lineage were Leia and Artoo, "Does... everyone know now?"

"Know what?"

"That we're the twins of Anakin Skywalker."

She nodded, "Artoo and I went ahead and told everyone. People were... shocked, but as far as I can see their opinions about us haven't changed." She looked away, obviously in thought, "Well except Mon Mothma."

I felt uneasy at that fact. Mon Mothma was one of the most important, if not the most important, leader of the Rebellion. Having her thinking negatively of me would have catastrophic effects on my future. Would I be able to help rebuild the republic or has that ship sailed now.

Sensing my panic, Leia quickly explained, "For the better! Mon Mothma knew our mother very well. When I was a little girl she'd tell me as much about her as she was allowed to. Now that she knows you're our mother's son, she's going to absolutely adore you!"

I sighed in relief, "You worried me on purpose!"

"Maybe," she chuckled.

There was some silence after that. It wasn't uncomfortable. We simply just sat there, enjoying each other's company and letting our thoughts wander.

Suddenly, she spoke, "You know what would be nice?"

"What?" I smiled.

"If we grew up together! I know everyone in the castle would love you!"

I chuckled, "Oh?"

"Firstinch, our butler, would've enjoyed our escapades. He and I started a harmless prank war when I was little. We had to eventually stop them after I failed to stop Tarkin from walking into one of my traps and getting himself covered with honey and feathers. It would've been nice to have a partner in crime."

I raised an eyebrow, "How can you be so sure I'd be on your side? What's to say I don't pair up with Firstinch or even just played pranks on both of you?"

"Good point, but it would've still been fun. Some of those parties I had to attend to as princess were boring. Having somebody my own age there would've passed the time."

Leia knew I hated political events, so it doubt she was shocked when I asked, "Anyway I would've been able to get out of them?"

She sighed, "I've put many theories into use. So far the only possible way I see of getting out of those banquets is dying."

"It'd be worth it. Don't count out Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru though. While working on a moisture farm was difficult and Tatooine rightfully deserves the reward of being the worst planet in the galaxy, my childhood had it's positives."

"Tell me about them!"

I sighed, "Lets see... I always enjoyed flying in races back home, many of the boys in the area would meet in downtown Anchorhead and spar, and Aunt Beru's cooking was to die for! Sometimes I'd come across Obi-Wan in town and he'd tell me stories about my father's escapades on the 'spice freighter' and I'd ask millions of questions about the galaxy and the family I never knew. Uncle Owen had him stop telling me stories eventually, but the bedtime stories I was told were always good too. It was always a chore to get up in the morning though."

I knew Leia would have no problem getting up in the morning on the farm. Every day she awoke early and was ready for anything. There were some days when I had to be literally dragged out of bed by someone. Then there was Han with his old 'throwing a bucket of water at me' trick. Even after I got out of bed it took me awhile to be fully awake.

Leia's excitement skyrocketed, "Or who's to say we can't have things both of our ways! We could grow up with our mother and be close to both of our families! I've always been told that my mother loves me to death. Certainly she would want to raise us!"

My own happiness grew, "Owen, Beru, and Ben told me the same thing! I heard that she was really nice and was more than happy at having a baby!"

"Imagine all of the things we could do! Swim by the lakes, walk through meadows, be sung lullabies as we both fell asleep in the room we shared, and maybe there would be some mornings where we would get up together and surprise our mother with breakfast!"

"Lets hope she's a morning person like you," I replied, "Plus, if we're little, we'll need Father's help to cook."

The smile that had been spread across her face fell in an instant, "Oh..."

"Adult supervision isn't that bad," I knew it was more than that, but I was trying to make light of the situation that I had somehow turned awkward.

"It's not that... it's just... I was thinking maybe we could leave our birth father out of the picture."

I sat up, ignoring the pain, "What?"

"I know that Vader is my birth father, but I don't want him to act like it. I can't believe that I'm related to someone so... evil."

I nodded. I had felt similar after I learned the truth. Somehow, I felt all of those heinous acts Vader committed were somehow connected with me. Everyone had been concerned after I distanced myself but I needed some time to think, and Vader trying to contact me through the Force wasn't helping. It took me so long to understand everything, but I somehow hoped that I could make Leia understand.

"Leia, Vader and our father were physically the same person, but they weren't truly the same. Try to think of Vader as like a demon that corrupted our father." At her silence I continued, "His last words were for me to tell you that I was right about him. There was good in him and he was able to die Anakin Skywalker. He died to save me and I'll forever feel survivor's guilt about that, but it confirms that he was a good person."

"Just because he said he was good doesn't mean he is."

"He didn't need to say it, Leia. I felt it through the Force."

She looked away for a moment before snapping her head back in my direction, "What if that's just what you want to feel? Luke you told me years ago that you idolized your father and it would make sense that you'd-"

"I know," I interrupted, "I know. It's... I swear I felt it!"

"Why did you even look up to him in the first place?"

My mouth opened and closed like a fish as I was trying to reply. I was contemplating whether or not to tell her about the days when I had to keep the secret. In the end I decided that she was my sister and that she could possibly relate.

"Growing up, I always knew I had certain abilities that the other kids didn't have. When I was four random objects started flying around my room and Owen and Beru confirmed that I was different. They, or rather Uncle Owen, forbid me from ever trying to use them and from telling anyone. As I got older my powers were harder to control, but somehow nobody figured out my secret. And believe me there were some close calls. I ignored them for so long that it got to a point where my powers practically didn't exist anymore. Then I got your message and Ben admitted that he was Obi-Wan. He offered to teach me the ways of the Force. It was difficult learning how to use my powers that I had kept buried for so long, but I like to think I've gotten better. Did you go through the same thing?"

For what seemed like hours Leia didn't say anything. She just looked at me, but at the same time she wasn't acknowledging that I was there. She was just lost in her own thoughts. I decided to wait patiently for her to answer me.

Finally, she answered, "There was also an incident when random objects flew around my room, but my father had told me that my window wasn't closed all the way. Other things happened too but he always had an explanation for it. I never did struggle to hold back this power because I didn't even know that it was there. But I don't see what that has to do with my question."

"Well," I began, "I always thought I was the only person like this. My aunt and uncle claimed they had no idea where these abilities came from. When I figured out my father had them too I felt like this weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I knew it was simply a trait that I inherited. I was no longer this freak of nature and I wanted to use my powers like Father."

Leia didn't have time to respond. Han and Chewie stepped into the room at that point.

"Hey, Kid!"

Chewbacca ran over to me and lifted me up in a bear hug. It hurt and I couldn't breathe, but I decided against telling him this.

When he dropped me back on the bed, I greeted, "Nice to see you guys! I heard we won!"

Han ruffled the hair on my head, "Oh we did more than that! We annihilated! It was great, Kid! You should have been there!"

As Han began describing the battles I missed, I looked over at Leia and offered her a small smile. She returned it before listening to Han's story.

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 **I wasn't planning on posting this, but I decided that I wanted some feedback.**

 **Please let me know what you think!**


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